Bradford lass recently returned from living in Rome. Rediscovering Yorkshire, searching for a decent coffee.

Beer and sandwiches

One of the great things about Rome is the lack of chain stores. There is certainly not the mixture of tanning shops, nail bars and take-aways that feature so heavily at home. Wibsey, where are your shops?! And when there is a coffee bar (at the last count there were 30 in a three street area around my apartment) it’s an independent, family run concern. Unfortunately, three Subway sandwich shops seem to have appeared in Rome of late, hopefully not a sign of things to come. Sandwiches in Rome usually take two forms, the tramezzino (a stale, crust-free, softish white bread affair that usually looks as though it’s been sat under the counter for a few days) or the panino (a more appetising combination of crusty bread roll, meats and cheeses). Fitting the independent bill is the newly opened Baguetteria del Fico, a cute little hole in the wall near Piazza del Fico with freshly made to order baguettes and an enormous selection of beers.